The Senior Special Adviser to the African Development Bank (AfDB)’s President, Prof. Banji Oyelaran-Oyeyinka, has distanced himself from a report that described Nigeria as the institution’s “most difficult client”.
In a reaction to the report ascribed to him, Oyelaran-Oyeyinka said he never made such remarks in his keynote address at the Third Biennial African Scientific Integration Network Conference hosted by the Centre for Energy Research and Development, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State.
The former United Nations (UN) Habitat Lead pointed a defect in the report, saying he had delivered an hour long lecture, titled: The Real Sources of Africa’s Economic Challenges, in which he highlighted the need for leaders in the continent to invest in productivity and value-adding.
In the presentation, Oyelaran-Oyeyinka further counseled that Africa needs to strengthen her institutions while accelerating the transition from resource dependence to knowledge driven economies.
His clarification was also corroborated by the Chief Executive Officer of ODEJAD Agro Company, Danjuma Adejo.
